The trouble with batteries is that they are complicated to get rid of, which is why people are always looking for clever ways to recycle them. As EVs become more commonplace on the market, manufacturers are also looking for ways to reduce waste. Rivian has come up with a potential solution, at least for their own used batteries. 

In conjunction with energy tech company Redwood Materials, Rivian will now be able to reuse battery packs that were formerly built into the vehicles they produced as part of the Rivian repurposed battery energy storage system. Here’s how it works: Rivian will take 100 EV battery packs from its vehicles at the end of their life. These battery packs will be given to Redwood Materials, which will use its Pack Manager tech to recycle the batteries. They will then provide power directly to the Rivian vehicle production plant located in Normal, Illinois. This is similar to how used EV batteries get a second life powering homes.

These batteries will provide energy during periods of peak demand, which can also help reduce the load placed on the energy grid. The idea is that less capacity would be needed from the electric grid if companies used more systems like this to level out peak demand and meet their ever-increasing electricity appetites. It’s also good for Rivian. Adding built-in power capacity to its production plant lets it charge these batteries when rates are lowest and use their stored power when costs peak, reducing production costs. These work in conjunction with the plant’s solar cells and wind turbines, which currently enable Rivian to charge its production vehicles with clean energy. 

Rivian isn’t the only company to try something like this, though. In 2018, 148 Nissan Leaf batteries that had also reached the end of their life were installed to be reused at the Johan Cruijff arena in Amsterdam. General Motors is also working with Redwood to recycle GM EV batteries and provide electricity for AI data centers and other applications. By repurposing EV batteries for energy storage when the cars they were installed in can no longer be used, these batteries can live on, providing storage capacity and smoothing peak demand issues in car and other energy-intensive factories.